Spring/Summer 2021!
Well, COVID is still a thing, unfortunately, but that hasn't stopped us!! Spring means Easter and Easter means Easter Bunny and chocolate!!!!
Also - as the COVID surges died down and adults (well some adults) got vaccinated - PPS opened up for limited in person school!!!! It was only 2 hours a day in the afternoon for 4 days a week, but between this and the Pod - it was something approaching a normal-ish school year....at least that is what we told ourselves.
In June we got to make it back to Wisconsin for some Lake and family time. We rented a house with a waterslide into the lake and all got to hang out and even go for a short hike. Topped off with a little time on the Weis Family Farm.
With vaccines rolling out, the Cook grandparents getting vaccinated and falling case numbers - it was time for a trip!!!!!! Grandma and Grandpa Cook came out to Oregon and joined us as the weather was drying out and getting nicer and nicer. We had a blast and went to the tulip festival!
Driving tractors!
It was a VERY windy day!
Wes and Grandpa got to put together special dinosaur models - hard at work in the basement for quite a while!
We were also lucky to have Boni come out for her birthday and get to celebrate it in Seattle! A trip to Pike's Place market
The Big Ferris Wheel!
and a whole bunch of time in the hotel pool! Due to COVID restrictions, you had to make a reservation for the pool - which resulted in having the entire thing to ourselves! It was actually pretty nice!
We celebrated her Birthday on the deck of our hotel, over looking Lake Union - a special day!
The real treat was soon to come, however, as we rented a hot tube motor boat (!) and drove around in Lake Union soaking in the hot tub set into the motor boat! It was a really unique experience and while the boat didn't move all that fast, it was fun to putter around, see the other ships / seaplanes on the lake and enjoy the hot tub!
Life continued at home, and the kids continued to grow! Elliot was learning to read, Wes conitnued to develop his role as a helper to both the family and his little sister and Fiona has turned into a BIG personality!!
She is funny, curious and easy going - likes to explore and really loves being goofy!
As the pandemic continued, we planned Elliot's 6th birthday part as a pool party with the pod. We rented out a pool through the Swimply program and and got several hours of an incredibly nice pool for all the pod kids and their parent to come and enjoy. We swam, laughed, ate cake pops - it was almost like normal again and Elliot loved it!
Fiona showing off her "turkey time" a little bump on her belly that only sticks out when she is really full - its not a hernia but is a cute little bump that lets us know how full she it.
Elliot joined a t-ball team this year and really took to playing sports! She was on a team with one of her good friends from ABC, who was also in her kindergarten class. She enjoyed the idea of a team and like the game...even if she didn't totally understand what was going on and what she was supposed to be doing.
In other big news - Elliot got surgery for her trigger thumb. For a while, her thumb has been getting "caught" and had to be forcefully straightened out. This trigger thumb didn't really get better with splinting or stretching and so it was time for surgery. The whole operation took about 8 minutes to do and Elliot was a champ the whole time! She was particularly hilarious during the pre-anesthesia time, after the versed had taken hold, chatting up a storm and telling jokes non-stop.
Spring time is strawberry picking time - and Grandma Cook came back out to join us!!!
And just like that, Kindergarten was over. What a strange year for us all. The pod worked out really, really well for all of us and Bella was an excellent teacher. The kids learned a lot and Elliot really developed more than we could have hoped for!
Happy Birthday Weston!!!!
His bike riding skills are really progressing (he is super fast and can standup while biking) and so needs a new helmet to keep him safe!
Look at that smile! He is developing into the sweetest little guy who just love snuggling and cuddling.
Wes and mom took a special trip to the getaway cabins up by Mt. Adams - just the two of them (and Madison) spending quality time together in the woods. They stopped on the way home in Hood River to bike and adventure!
We also got a chance to join our friends the Hawleys at their beach house in Rockaway Beach! The were right on the beach and it was a weekend of exploring, investigating, goofing around and having a LOT of fun. The kids get along so well and it was just relaxing to hangout and be near the ocean.
Summer 2021 was also marked by a series of camping adventures - we really tried hard to get out and explore Oregon. This is us out day hiking in the Mt. Hood National Forest to Twin Lakes. The kids are such great hikers and even Fiona loves to get out and hike. Elliot and Weston are constantly exploring and adventuring and take great care of little Fiona.....all of this is, however, depending on snacks and we travel very well stocked with granola bars!
Feel the love!
4th of July was spent camping with friends outside Florence, Oregon at the Sand Dunes. Weather was not as warm as expected but we made it work. Fiona got to try her new sleeping bag which was a big hit, wish we had this when the other kids were smaller!
Crystal and Elliot snuck away to San Diego with Mandy and Kendall for a mother daughter trip. San Diego Zoo and the pool were big hits.
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| Weston got a bug bite to his eye camping up on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington in late summer. He barely noticed it was there. Then one of our favorite festivals, the Northwest String Summit looked different this year with COVID. They sectioned off areas that you could buy, this was GREAT to have a picnic and space! |
Wes has also done every cliche thing a kid can do, including cutting off his own hair. Yup, Elliot came running down screaming telling us what happened.
Next it was on to Cook's Camp for a week in early August. We try to do this every year. A highlight is always the "Cook Family Olympic" which the kids are getting more and more into every year. Time at the lake, on the boat and with cousins are other highlights ;) Maine is always so beautiful and peaceful in August.
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| Some popcycles with dad while he is on-call |
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| Hiking at Silver Falls with G-ma Weis |
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| Mom being silly in COVID gear. |
Fiona is growing up so fast! She acts so much older than her 2 years, trying to keep up with Elliot and Weston.
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Last big trip of the summer was heading up to Packwood and Mt Rainer National Park for a last backpacking trip. We stayed at an adorable AirBNB with an art studio the night before backpacking, the kids LOVED it. Then we hiked in to Summerland camp for 2 nights. 12 ish miles total, 2.5K elevation climb and the kids did great! Fiona got carried :) But Wes and Elliot rocked it! Wildlife sightings: one black bear, one fox, many marmots, pikas, tadpoles and Fiona’s favorite...chipmunks
LOTS of trail snacks, hot chocolate, and trail songs/stories later. Gorgeous high alpine meadows, mount rainier views, wildflowers closing out there season. The weather turned night 2 and we lost our campsites view of Rainier and had all 3 kids fall out of our hammock when it tore in half .... but all in all a very successful trip.
It is HARD work, but to see the kids all playing together, telling trail stories, making up silly songs, turning rocks and sticks into toys and stream crossings into adventures is SO worth it.
Best quote: “Wes don’t pee on your mom” (I was standing down hill helping Fiona pee and looked up right as Wes was about to pee on me from up hill and mac was running to stop him)
Most memorable moment: Wes ran off down the trail during a snack break. Mac ran after him just in time for Wes to come running back with eyes of terror. A black bear was 50 feet down the trail but had no interest in us. Elliot ran to put her arm around Fiona, Mac gathered Wes, Mom gathered all the items and we all sang out "hey bear, heeey bear" Just in time for a wildlife ranger to come up the trail on the other side, hear us and join in. This scared the bear off the trail finally. We all got to watch him eating Salmon berries, the ranger clearly knew we were a bit shaken so nelt down to teach the kids about bears. When the ranger kneels down with his back to the bear only 15 feet away, you know the ranger is comfortable with bears :) This helped mom and dads heart rate go down as well ;)
Closing out summer and back to school the next day!
